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The village that does not breathe: Isra Sarsour, Ahmad Khalilia, ‘Fragmented landscapes: The impact of Israeli settlements on Palestinian identity — A case study of Deir Nidham village’, Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2026

28Oct26

Abstract: The article examines the profound and multifaceted consequences of the relationship between Palestinian identity and the expansion of Israeli settlements through a qualitative case study of Deir Nidham Village in the central West Bank. Often described by its residents as “the village that does not breathe,” Deir Nidham has experienced a history of dispossession, particularly with the occupation of its hilltop to establish the Halamish Settlement. The study employs a qualitative case-study approach, combining spatial and historical analyses of land-use change with semi-structured interviews conducted with villagers across different generations to capture personal experiences and collective memories. This is achieved through a comparative study of the landscape before and after settlement expansion, and by examining changes in land access, agricultural practice, and daily spatial use. Interview narratives captured villagers’ traditional livelihoods, their cultural expressions, and their sense of belonging. In doing so, the article underscores the resilience of Palestinian identity while exposing the profound pressures exerted on it by ongoing settlement activities. This transformation has affected not only the village’s physical environment but also its social fabric, cultural continuity, and psychological well-being. By situating the village within the broader framework of settler colonial practices, the research seeks to understand how settlement activity has disrupted Palestinian daily life, reshaped spatial practices, and weakened long-standing connections and attachments to the land. By placing the village within the broader framework of settler colonial practices, the research seeks to move beyond macro-scale analyses to examine the overall impact of settlement in its daily lived experience at the micro-scale, an aspect insufficiently explored in current studies.


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